Illinois Community Works to Fix Tornado-Damaged Gym

There have been delays rebuilding a tornado-damaged high school gym in southern Illinois.

A tornado ripped off part of a wall of Gillespie High School gym last May. Superintendent Joe Tieman says there have been setbacks in the effort to rebuild the gym. He tells The (Alton) Telegraph those include issues with insurance claims, power lines and the harsh winter weather.

Tieman says officials thought the gym would be repaired by March, but now it’s looking more like May.

Meanwhile sports teams have been finding alternative places to practice.

More than 60 homes and businesses in the town of 3,400 were damaged by a tornado that packed 111 mph winds, but no one was seriously injured.

Gillespie is about 40 miles northeast of St. Louis.